If your fantasy football draft is coming up this weekend (and really, we need to talk about this), just take Mike Wallace off your boards. Or at least push him way down.
Talks between Wallace and the Pittsburgh Steelers are non-existent. And a trade? Forget about it. That's not happening either, according to the *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette*.
Which is a shame, I wish football worked more like baseball with deadline trades and just trades in general. Think of Wallace being traded to the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers or New York Jets - that would be awesome. Instead, he's just going to sit on the sidelines. Not good news for Steelers fans or fantasy enthusiasts.
But please, upgrade Antonio Brown on your draft boards. He's poised for a big season.
HAKEEM NICKS RUNS
New York Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks ran in practice on Tuesday afternoon and he told reporters he's still on pace to start on Sept. 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.
"Definitely still on target, no setbacks," Nicks said, in an email update sent by the team. "Everything is going well. I've been running every day. No setbacks. Feeling good. Getting back."
Nicks is still a great fantasy option as a WR1. His average draft position is the fourth round in NFL.com drafts. That's a huge value right there, as the WWE's Booker T would say.
No reports on Nicks being yoked, as WFAN's Anita Marks brought up recently. But we'll keep an eye out for it.
Quick Outs
» Why must the Cleveland fans be put through this torture? First-round pick Trent Richardson might not play in Friday's preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, according to the *Cleveland Plain-Dealer*. Training camp bumps and bruises are nothing new, so don't overact to this news. Richardson doesn't need to prove himself in preseason games. He's still a great option in fantasy drafts in the second- and third-round.
» Matt Flynn is going to be the starter for the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener. New receiver Terrell Owens is already complaining about him. Just kidding - barely.
» Speaking of the Seattle Seahawks, our Michael Lombardi said the club's signing of T.O. could be rooted in a disappointment over Sydney Rice's injury concerns. Rice could be a potential breakout star if he was ever healthy enough, but he just can't get on the field. His status for the start of the season is clearly in doubt right now.
» Robert Griffin III won't be running a lot during his preseason opener this week. Which is good news, because he doesn't really have to prove to us that he's going to be able to run the ball this year.
» Beanie Wells was activated from the PUP list on Tuesday. Try to contain your excitement.
» Our Daniel Jeremiah reports Cam Newton is starting to find a rhythm with Brandon Lafell, which is good news because the Panthers need a quality second receiver. And fantasy enthusiasts need a good sleeper to look at in the later rounds.
» Who has seen their fantasy value rise in recent weeks? Our Michael Fabiano has the skinny on ten players, who have received a fantasy bump in recent days.
» Consider this my public service announcement of the week: You shouldn't be doing a fantasy draft before August 31 at the very earliest. I understand, you're excited about fantasy football. I'm excited, too. But that's no reason to start before you have all of the information. This is akin to driving a car without the wheels. You can't do it. But I'm afraid this note will fall upon deaf ears. Or since you're reading, blind eyes.
For the record, you can submit your fantasy questions to NFL Fantasy Live, Michael Fabiano or me on Twitter. But realize, NFL Fantasy Live has 50,000 followers, and Fabiano has 60,000. Me? Just 13. See, the odds are better that I will answer your question, so hit me up both via Twitter or via Facebook. Also be sure to catch the latest "Dave Dameshek Football Program."
